The Gym?

[halfling]

Mr. Halfling has a home gym setup in the garage. It probably cost about $1000 for all the weights, bars, etc. I thought I would use it too and save on gym costs, but one year in, I have barely touched it, so this year I'm signing up for the local climbing gym - about 90 bucks a month. It's one of the only kinds of exercise I genuinely enjoy and can spend hours every week doing. It's expensive and it is worth it.

FWIW I have tried some of those other expensive membership gyms like Orange Theory, and while they weren't for me, I think a lot of FIRE types would really enjoy the gamified and competitive aspects of them. Most are free to try once. I just hate running on treadmills too much to do them.

[nereo]

I used to pay for a gym membership, but instead, just before COVID hit, I invested around $1200 in a home gym in my basement.  Nothing fancy, but it has all the essentials like a bench, power rack/cage, free weights, bench press, leg machine, and an elliptical.  After 2 years it paid for itself, compared to paying $50/month for a gym membership, which is the going rate in my area.

I understand these “paid for itself” equations and applaud you for your setup, but what I find lacking is any consideration of the cost of used space. In my area a finished space averages around $300/sqft. To have the setup you describe is need to semi-permanently assign at least 120 square feet of space towards “home gym”… pans probably more like 200+. That’s a lot of space, and a lot of cost for a bigger home.

Hmm… living somewhere with finished spaces around $300/sqft sounds 1000x more expensive than having space for a home gym in most of the country..

That's the cost per sqft of my apartment and it's a very, very inexpensive and unusually large apartment for this city. I have a home gym in my rural summer home where space is much cheaper.

So yeah, it depends heavily on location.

No doubt - my point was more-so that the $300/sq ft argument doesn’t really apply to the other 95% of North American homes, so not the best example as to why a home gym isn’t practical.

The space needed for a pretty adequate home gym (even at $300/sq ft) is honestly about 4’x8’ when in use, and stored around 2’x4’, using a single adjustable bench, adjustable dumbbells, and various resistance bands/attachments.

I’m sure we could waste tons of time debating what we mean by “about,” “around” and “adequate”… but I reject the idea that anywhere near 95% of Americans live in spaces where the going rate is substantially less than $300/sqft.

Consider that over 80% of Americans live in areas classified as “Urban”, and tens-of-millions live in “VHCOL” areas such as NYC, SF Bay, SD, Miami, DC, LA, etc. In those places housing can easily exceed $600/sqft. Further, some which googling pulls up a list of ten states where the average housing cost/sqft is over $300, including several of the most populous. It’s apparent most people are paying well north of $200.

As for the size of a home gym, that’s entirely subjective. My post was commenting on Garret Bs listed setup, which most definitely could not fit in a 2x4 space stored or 4x8 in use. But I’d argue few would consider a 4x8 home gym space comparable in functionality to what you could get at a gym (the OT).

[Morning Glory]

I used to pay for a gym membership, but instead, just before COVID hit, I invested around $1200 in a home gym in my basement.  Nothing fancy, but it has all the essentials like a bench, power rack/cage, free weights, bench press, leg machine, and an elliptical.  After 2 years it paid for itself, compared to paying $50/month for a gym membership, which is the going rate in my area.

I understand these “paid for itself” equations and applaud you for your setup, but what I find lacking is any consideration of the cost of used space. In my area a finished space averages around $300/sqft. To have the setup you describe is need to semi-permanently assign at least 120 square feet of space towards “home gym”… pans probably more like 200+. That’s a lot of space, and a lot of cost for a bigger home.

Hmm… living somewhere with finished spaces around $300/sqft sounds 1000x more expensive than having space for a home gym in most of the country..

That's the cost per sqft of my apartment and it's a very, very inexpensive and unusually large apartment for this city. I have a home gym in my rural summer home where space is much cheaper.

So yeah, it depends heavily on location.

No doubt - my point was more-so that the $300/sq ft argument doesn’t really apply to the other 95% of North American homes, so not the best example as to why a home gym isn’t practical.

The space needed for a pretty adequate home gym (even at $300/sq ft) is honestly about 4’x8’ when in use, and stored around 2’x4’, using a single adjustable bench, adjustable dumbbells, and various resistance bands/attachments.

I’m sure we could waste tons of time debating what we mean by “about,” “around” and “adequate”… but I reject the idea that anywhere near 95% of Americans live in spaces where the going rate is substantially less than $300/sqft.

Consider that over 80% of Americans live in areas classified as “Urban”, and tens-of-millions live in “VHCOL” areas such as NYC, SF Bay, SD, Miami, DC, LA, etc. In those places housing can easily exceed $600/sqft. Further, some which googling pulls up a list of ten states where the average housing cost/sqft is over $300, including several of the most populous. It’s apparent most people are paying well north of $200.

As for the size of a home gym, that’s entirely subjective. My post was commenting on Garret Bs listed setup, which most definitely could not fit in a 2x4 space stored or 4x8 in use. But I’d argue few would consider a 4x8 home gym space comparable in functionality to what you could get at a gym (the OT).

Most older homes in the Midwest have basements that aren't really finish-able because of water seepage, but are often used as a gym or wood shop if the ceiling is high enough. This square footage doesn't count in those $/sqft calculations.

[use2betrix]

As for the size of a home gym, that’s entirely subjective. My post was commenting on Garret Bs listed setup, which most definitely could not fit in a 2x4 space stored or 4x8 in use. But I’d argue few would consider a 4x8 home gym space comparable in functionality to what you could get at a gym (the OT).

I’d argue that most people at the gym really have no clue how to optimize a weightlifting session at all so their opinion of what equipment is required to meet their “goals” is pretty irrelevant.

Generally the more knowledgeable a person becomes about weightlifting, the more they realize that 17 variations of bicep curls and chest press are not necessary. The exception of the equipment I listed would be power lifters needing barbells and weightlifters benching 300+ and squatting 400+

[Chris Pascale]

With so many people in my house a gym is the way to go. We looked for a home for a while where we could have a gym, and in the end, an HOA with a pool, gym, sauna, and racquetball is way better than we could have done for ourselves.

[bill1827]

I am going to be a minority here but I hate gyms. I hate gyms.

You're not alone. I go further, I hate physical exercise and sport.

I had a very effective aversion course at school. If you are bad at the exercises that they try to make you do or the sports that they make you play you don't fit in.

The odd thing is that, although I never do exercise, I am the same weight that I was at 20 and the clothes that I wear are the same size that they were then. I'm also fitter than most people that I see.

[aloevera1]

I am going to be a minority here but I hate gyms. I hate gyms.

I don't like the environment, sweat stains on the machines, the additional friction of having to go somewhere to exercise. Once I had a subscription to a fancy gym. I thought the sheer beauty of it will entice me. Well, that lasted about 4 months and I just couldn't justify the cost (although I was very fit at the time).

I do enjoy
1) yoga classes
2) swimming pools
3) dancing classes

So for that I would go to some facilities...

The rest of time I prefer to exercise at home. Though this year I've been horrible at exercising regularly. I had an unpleasant back issue last spring and that took me out of routine. Switched to PT for a bit. Now I am not doing anything... Have to find mental space for it again. Urgh.

The key is to focus on building the routine of doing it, not getting the exercises done. By that I mean that you need to have an "easy" version that takes no discipline to do and do it every day for 2-6 weeks. No matter how much you don't feel like doing exercise/PT, have a few of the nicer exercises/stretches that you do no matter what.

Doing exercise/PT isn't hard, getting yourself to start exercise/PT is what's hard. So have a routine that if you are truly not feeling it once you start, you can stop after the easy things and check it off your list for the day.

You are much more likely to actually do your full routine if you are already lying on a mat doing it than if you are on your sofa watching tv/looking at your phone.

For PT I have 2 stretches that mostly involve me lying down with a ball under a given joint. It's like taking a nap for a few minutes. If I don't feel like doing the rest after that, I don't, but 80-90% of the time I do. For the gym I do 5 minutes of exercise bike because my knee always feels better afterwards. If I don't feel like lifting some weight after that, I don't, but again, 80-90% of the time I do.

Knowing that I can bail after the easy things means I never talk myself out of starting, which is where the routine always fails if I have it in my head that I'm about to go do an hour of PT. That will NEVER sound like an appealing prospect when I could do literally anything else, but after a few minutes of nap exercises where my joints feel really nice, and I'm already lying on the mat, a few more exercises sounds like a GREAT idea, plus then I don't actually have to get up off of the floor.

Well, that's a neat trick for *starting* to exercise. I love this little ways to negotiate with the stubborn lazy brain :D  I agree, it's much easier to commit to something small than something big and daunting. I might try that!!!

I usually use habit stacking approach. Meaning, I attach a new habit to something I am already doing and create a sequence of things. So I don't have to think about whether I am doing it. If I am doing A, then I am doing B. It's a little harder to start after a break tho because now I have to carve out time for B after A. And if I fell off the wagon, that time is taken by something else...

So maybe small steps approach is a better way for me at this point.

[GuitarStv]

Does nobody else use the David Goggins method of just yelling at yourself until you get into better shape?

[Metalcat]

I am going to be a minority here but I hate gyms. I hate gyms.

I don't like the environment, sweat stains on the machines, the additional friction of having to go somewhere to exercise. Once I had a subscription to a fancy gym. I thought the sheer beauty of it will entice me. Well, that lasted about 4 months and I just couldn't justify the cost (although I was very fit at the time).

I do enjoy
1) yoga classes
2) swimming pools
3) dancing classes

So for that I would go to some facilities...

The rest of time I prefer to exercise at home. Though this year I've been horrible at exercising regularly. I had an unpleasant back issue last spring and that took me out of routine. Switched to PT for a bit. Now I am not doing anything... Have to find mental space for it again. Urgh.

The key is to focus on building the routine of doing it, not getting the exercises done. By that I mean that you need to have an "easy" version that takes no discipline to do and do it every day for 2-6 weeks. No matter how much you don't feel like doing exercise/PT, have a few of the nicer exercises/stretches that you do no matter what.

Doing exercise/PT isn't hard, getting yourself to start exercise/PT is what's hard. So have a routine that if you are truly not feeling it once you start, you can stop after the easy things and check it off your list for the day.

You are much more likely to actually do your full routine if you are already lying on a mat doing it than if you are on your sofa watching tv/looking at your phone.

For PT I have 2 stretches that mostly involve me lying down with a ball under a given joint. It's like taking a nap for a few minutes. If I don't feel like doing the rest after that, I don't, but 80-90% of the time I do. For the gym I do 5 minutes of exercise bike because my knee always feels better afterwards. If I don't feel like lifting some weight after that, I don't, but again, 80-90% of the time I do.

Knowing that I can bail after the easy things means I never talk myself out of starting, which is where the routine always fails if I have it in my head that I'm about to go do an hour of PT. That will NEVER sound like an appealing prospect when I could do literally anything else, but after a few minutes of nap exercises where my joints feel really nice, and I'm already lying on the mat, a few more exercises sounds like a GREAT idea, plus then I don't actually have to get up off of the floor.

Well, that's a neat trick for *starting* to exercise. I love this little ways to negotiate with the stubborn lazy brain :D  I agree, it's much easier to commit to something small than something big and daunting. I might try that!!!

I usually use habit stacking approach. Meaning, I attach a new habit to something I am already doing and create a sequence of things. So I don't have to think about whether I am doing it. If I am doing A, then I am doing B. It's a little harder to start after a break tho because now I have to carve out time for B after A. And if I fell off the wagon, that time is taken by something else...

So maybe small steps approach is a better way for me at this point.

Yep, it's all about identifying barriers to desired actions and either removing them or working around them.

People always think I'm incredibly disciplined because I always get soooo much shit done, but really, I'm not. I'm so productive because I'm INCREDIBLY LAZY and won't do anything if it requires even a modest amount of discipline and motivation to get done.

If something is going to take will power for me to do, I'm simply not going to do it. So if I want to have a given behaviour, I absolutely have to find a way to make that behaviour easy and as frictionless as possible.

[neo von retorch]

Yep, it's all about identifying barriers to desired actions and either removing them or working around them.

People always think I'm incredibly disciplined because I always get soooo much shit done, but really, I'm not. I'm so productive because I'm INCREDIBLY LAZY and won't do anything if it requires even a modest amount of discipline and motivation to get done.

If something is going to take will power for me to do, I'm simply not going to do it. So if I want to have a given behaviour, I absolutely have to find a way to make that behaviour easy and as frictionless as possible.

In my experience, the bolded section is the part I'm too lazy to do, and then my other laziness kicks in later, and nothing gets done. How do you overcome the initial laziness to set things up to make them easy for future friction points?

[aloevera1]

Does nobody else use the David Goggins method of just yelling at yourself until you get into better shape?

I've done enough yelling at myself, thank you very much :P

[GuitarStv]

Does nobody else use the David Goggins method of just yelling at yourself until you get into better shape?

I've done enough yelling at myself, thank you very much :P

NOT YET YOU HAVEN'T!

:D

[Metalcat]

Yep, it's all about identifying barriers to desired actions and either removing them or working around them.

People always think I'm incredibly disciplined because I always get soooo much shit done, but really, I'm not. I'm so productive because I'm INCREDIBLY LAZY and won't do anything if it requires even a modest amount of discipline and motivation to get done.

If something is going to take will power for me to do, I'm simply not going to do it. So if I want to have a given behaviour, I absolutely have to find a way to make that behaviour easy and as frictionless as possible.

In my experience, the bolded section is the part I'm too lazy to do, and then my other laziness kicks in later, and nothing gets done. How do you overcome the initial laziness to set things up to make them easy for future friction points?

It's just about understanding what *exactly* is getting in the way.

If you are legit over burdened, there's no trick or strategy that will make adding a habit easy. So the first step is to identify if your system actually has adaptive capacity to add a new habit. If not, something has to go or capacity has to be somehow increased.

Are you actually lazy or are you fatigued?

If you have capacity, then it's a matter of just directing existing energy towards what you want to be doing and getting the barriers to doing it out of the way.

For example, I listen to audiobooks, but I get restless just sitting listening to a book, so I like to do odd, low-engagement tasks while listening to books. So this means that if I want myself to do more low-engagement tasks, like doing the dishes or doing PT stretches, then putting on an audiobook is a great way to get shit like that done.

Without the audiobook, those tasks are way too boring, which makes them tedious, which makes me not want to do them.

[PhrugalPhan]

I'm another vote for do whatever gets you to exercise.  I used to work out at a gym at the office ($8/mo. for a small gym with showers), but then COVID hit and it took me time to find my groove again.  At first, I would jog at lunch (as I was now 100% work at home), but by the time the first winter came along I was not up for running out in the very cold.  So I searched and there was a $10/mo. gym 2 miles from my house.  I have been going there from Jan. '21 to today.  The routine keeps me going, especially after retiring last June.  That $10 is a small price to pay to keep (relatively) healthy in my 60s.

[rocketpj]

At 45 I joined a Crossfit-like gym.*  6.5 years later I still go between 3-5 times/week, depending on the season.  In winter I play hockey 2-3 times/week as well, and it is very difficult to do both on the same day.  I pay for all of it by refereeing hockey as well, mostly youth hockey, and that's also a lot of exercise (1-2 hours of hard skating per game, 2-6 games/week).  I would pay for it regardless because I see the health benefit as a long-term investment in actually being able to enjoy my later years, and it's the only workout style that seems to work for me.

I love the structured nature of crossfit-style gyms.  The owner of my gym is extremely knowledgeable and supportive, and has a couple of other very knowledgeable trainers working there also.  I've learned a lot over the years, and can't imagine not going to a regular gym no matter where I live in the future.  I have made a lot of connections and some friends through the years who attend the same class schedule as I do.

*My gym disaffiliated from 'Crossfit' a few years ago because there wasn't really any reason to pay for the logo.

[stoaX]

At 45 I joined a Crossfit-like gym.*  6.5 years later I still go between 3-5 times/week, depending on the season.  In winter I play hockey 2-3 times/week as well, and it is very difficult to do both on the same day.  I pay for all of it by refereeing hockey as well, mostly youth hockey, and that's also a lot of exercise (1-2 hours of hard skating per game, 2-6 games/week).  I would pay for it regardless because I see the health benefit as a long-term investment in actually being able to enjoy my later years, and it's the only workout style that seems to work for me.

I love the structured nature of crossfit-style gyms.  The owner of my gym is extremely knowledgeable and supportive, and has a couple of other very knowledgeable trainers working there also.  I've learned a lot over the years, and can't imagine not going to a regular gym no matter where I live in the future.  I have made a lot of connections and some friends through the years who attend the same class schedule as I do.

*My gym disaffiliated from 'Crossfit' a few years ago because there wasn't really any reason to pay for the logo.

I play hockey as well. The workout is phenomenal, like doing sprints for over an hour. And I can't get that level of intensity in the gym. I need the game situation to really push me harder.

[GuitarStv]

At 45 I joined a Crossfit-like gym.*  6.5 years later I still go between 3-5 times/week, depending on the season.  In winter I play hockey 2-3 times/week as well, and it is very difficult to do both on the same day.  I pay for all of it by refereeing hockey as well, mostly youth hockey, and that's also a lot of exercise (1-2 hours of hard skating per game, 2-6 games/week).  I would pay for it regardless because I see the health benefit as a long-term investment in actually being able to enjoy my later years, and it's the only workout style that seems to work for me.

I love the structured nature of crossfit-style gyms.  The owner of my gym is extremely knowledgeable and supportive, and has a couple of other very knowledgeable trainers working there also.  I've learned a lot over the years, and can't imagine not going to a regular gym no matter where I live in the future.  I have made a lot of connections and some friends through the years who attend the same class schedule as I do.

*My gym disaffiliated from 'Crossfit' a few years ago because there wasn't really any reason to pay for the logo.

I play hockey as well. The workout is phenomenal, like doing sprints for over an hour. And I can't get that level of intensity in the gym. I need the game situation to really push me harder.

I think this is true of a lot of sports where there's a competitive element to them.  In my experience, without that sort of competition most people are unable to push themselves as hard and won't be able to get to the same level physically.

[Metalcat]

At 45 I joined a Crossfit-like gym.*  6.5 years later I still go between 3-5 times/week, depending on the season.  In winter I play hockey 2-3 times/week as well, and it is very difficult to do both on the same day.  I pay for all of it by refereeing hockey as well, mostly youth hockey, and that's also a lot of exercise (1-2 hours of hard skating per game, 2-6 games/week).  I would pay for it regardless because I see the health benefit as a long-term investment in actually being able to enjoy my later years, and it's the only workout style that seems to work for me.

I love the structured nature of crossfit-style gyms.  The owner of my gym is extremely knowledgeable and supportive, and has a couple of other very knowledgeable trainers working there also.  I've learned a lot over the years, and can't imagine not going to a regular gym no matter where I live in the future.  I have made a lot of connections and some friends through the years who attend the same class schedule as I do.

*My gym disaffiliated from 'Crossfit' a few years ago because there wasn't really any reason to pay for the logo.

I play hockey as well. The workout is phenomenal, like doing sprints for over an hour. And I can't get that level of intensity in the gym. I need the game situation to really push me harder.

I think this is true of a lot of sports where there's a competitive element to them.  In my experience, without that sort of competition most people are unable to push themselves as hard and won't be able to get to the same level physically.

Which is also why athletes have a lot more injuries than people into less competitive forms of fitness.

Especially as they age and are accustomed to pushing their body so hard, but their joints can no longer keep up with the demands that their competitive will can push them to.

[nereo]

At 45 I joined a Crossfit-like gym.*  6.5 years later I still go between 3-5 times/week, depending on the season.  In winter I play hockey 2-3 times/week as well, and it is very difficult to do both on the same day.  I pay for all of it by refereeing hockey as well, mostly youth hockey, and that's also a lot of exercise (1-2 hours of hard skating per game, 2-6 games/week).  I would pay for it regardless because I see the health benefit as a long-term investment in actually being able to enjoy my later years, and it's the only workout style that seems to work for me.

I love the structured nature of crossfit-style gyms.  The owner of my gym is extremely knowledgeable and supportive, and has a couple of other very knowledgeable trainers working there also.  I've learned a lot over the years, and can't imagine not going to a regular gym no matter where I live in the future.  I have made a lot of connections and some friends through the years who attend the same class schedule as I do.

*My gym disaffiliated from 'Crossfit' a few years ago because there wasn't really any reason to pay for the logo.

I play hockey as well. The workout is phenomenal, like doing sprints for over an hour. And I can't get that level of intensity in the gym. I need the game situation to really push me harder.

I think this is true of a lot of sports where there's a competitive element to them.  In my experience, without that sort of competition most people are unable to push themselves as hard and won't be able to get to the same level physically.

Which is also why athletes have a lot more injuries than people into less competitive forms of fitness.

Especially as they age and are accustomed to pushing their body so hard, but their joints can no longer keep up with the demands that their competitive will can push them to.

As a 'recovering, former elite athlete' I've come to realize that level of training is actually terrible for your body.  Most people (even athletes themselves) view pro-level athletes as being "in the absolute best physical shape" when the reality is that training and competing at that level puts your body in a very precarious position - constantly battling inflammation, RSI, minor injuries and constantly on the bring of major, life-altering injury.

It's shocking how common major injuries are among elite athletes that occur within their normal range of motion.  A healthy 20/30-something should not tear tendons or muscle tissue doing a routine motion, yet it's something so common it's dismissed as 'normal' and expected.   e.g. "he injured his quadriceps while warming up and is now out for the next 2-3 weeks".

[Metalcat]

As a 'recovering, former elite athlete' I've come to realize that level of training is actually terrible for your body.  Most people (even athletes themselves) view pro-level athletes as being "in the absolute best physical shape" when the reality is that training and competing at that level puts your body in a very precarious position - constantly battling inflammation, RSI, minor injuries and constantly on the bring of major, life-altering injury.

It's shocking how common major injuries are among elite athletes that occur within their normal range of motion.  A healthy 20/30-something should not tear tendons or muscle tissue doing a routine motion, yet it's something so common it's dismissed as 'normal' and expected.   e.g. "he injured his quadriceps while warming up and is now out for the next 2-3 weeks".

And that's with rigorous, constant monitoring and PT to minimize injury.

Athletes are like race cars, when really, most of us should be aiming to be Corollas. 

[nereo]

As a 'recovering, former elite athlete' I've come to realize that level of training is actually terrible for your body.  Most people (even athletes themselves) view pro-level athletes as being "in the absolute best physical shape" when the reality is that training and competing at that level puts your body in a very precarious position - constantly battling inflammation, RSI, minor injuries and constantly on the bring of major, life-altering injury.

It's shocking how common major injuries are among elite athletes that occur within their normal range of motion.  A healthy 20/30-something should not tear tendons or muscle tissue doing a routine motion, yet it's something so common it's dismissed as 'normal' and expected.   e.g. "he injured his quadriceps while warming up and is now out for the next 2-3 weeks".

And that's with rigorous, constant monitoring and PT to minimize injury.

Athletes are like race cars, when really, most of us should be aiming to be Corollas.

Yuppers.  I had a standing 3x/week PT session, and often 'dropped in' the other days (ah... the days of being under an athletic program when I could just decide to 'drop in' and get my body worked on with no appointment and no fee).  I had a 7-day/week plan for stretching, icing and strengthening core muscle groups to minimize the risk of injury in a completely non-contact sport.  But what's most remarkable is that this level of PT was considered completely typical

[GuitarStv]

That level of PT is normal!

[Kris]

I think this is one of those situations where “normal” and “healthy” are not synonymous.

[spartana]

I think this is one of those situations where “normal” and “healthy” are not synonymous.

Yep. Former pro-athlete and "fit" and "healthy" (as well as "I look good in skinny jeans") are totally different things. I use to go to a gym religiously, as well as had coaching sessons/training for hours a day and compete for hours every on weekends,   so that I could be fit enough to compete in a sport and limit injuries.  I still abused my body and have multiple injuries and surgeries to show for it. My food intake was terrible, I had terrible sleep patterns,  I was stressed and exhausted and while I may have been "fit" I was not really healthy.  I still workout hard but am much much healthier then In was when I was competing.

To answer the OP - yes I have a gym membership and go often but prefer to do outdoor recreation as a workout now. Mostly long distance running and biking plus some sports activities.

[Cawl]

Going to a gym is a good thing if you lose all motivation to do anything when you get home. This is a problem that me and my brother both had so it has more to do with the place rather than the person.

[firemane]

I am in a good spot where I am grandfathered into 2 gyms at the rate I signed up for back im high school which come out to be like $300 per year for both.  However, lifting is my passion, and I could not put a price on it

[rocketpj]

Just want to chime back in to point out that the level of ice hockey I play is not 'elite' in any sense, and injuries are rare.  It is mostly a bunch of middle aged guys who like to have a skate.  Yes, it is motivating and great exercise, but I'd say exactly none of us are in a mindset of 'sacrificing the body' or risking injury for a 930pm Tuesday night over 45 beer league game.  Play hard in the moment, but nobody really cares what the score is.  At least half of the fun is having a beverage in the dressing room with the guys (and some girls) after the game.

[jeninco]

Just got back from my Monday morning class, and wanted to add in: if you intend to get HIIT-style workouts into your weekly routine, they are a LOT easier if you do them with a group. I take a HIIT class at 7 AM on Monday that's typically 6 - 12 participants, and I see several advantages over doing HIIT workouts by myself at home (which I did for years):

1. The coach makes sure we do adequate warming up and stretching before we really go crazy, and
2. It's ... I don't want to say "easier", but more achievable to go harder for longer when you're with company.  Also
3. The rests are limited, because you're doing this with a group (today we did half the group on, half the group off for some of the hard stuff).

[jrhampt]

Just got back from my Monday morning class, and wanted to add in: if you intend to get HIIT-style workouts into your weekly routine, they are a LOT easier if you do them with a group. I take a HIIT class at 7 AM on Monday that's typically 6 - 12 participants, and I see several advantages over doing HIIT workouts by myself at home (which I did for years):

1. The coach makes sure we do adequate warming up and stretching before we really go crazy, and
2. It's ... I don't want to say "easier", but more achievable to go harder for longer when you're with company.  Also
3. The rests are limited, because you're doing this with a group (today we did half the group on, half the group off for some of the hard stuff).

This is my experience, too.  I love the group classes.

[GuitarStv]

Just got back from my Monday morning class, and wanted to add in: if you intend to get HIIT-style workouts into your weekly routine, they are a LOT easier if you do them with a group. I take a HIIT class at 7 AM on Monday that's typically 6 - 12 participants, and I see several advantages over doing HIIT workouts by myself at home (which I did for years):

1. The coach makes sure we do adequate warming up and stretching before we really go crazy, and
2. It's ... I don't want to say "easier", but more achievable to go harder for longer when you're with company.  Also
3. The rests are limited, because you're doing this with a group (today we did half the group on, half the group off for some of the hard stuff).

This is my experience, too.  I love the group classes.

There's also something to be said for being around other people performing an activity.  I didn't think it was physically possible to do some stuff until I saw others doing it no problem.